Prince in Shining Armor
by Lanie K
Summary: She was going to marry a prince, that's just the way it was. No said that the prince had to be male. AhimxLuka


Ahim had always been told that she was going to marry a prince. He was going to be tall and courageous, dashing and smart and care for her needs. Love was never really a requirement when it came to royal marriages and Ahim knew that, but she didn't mind….much. Of course, it would be nice that the person she was to marry would actually love her but in the end royal marriages were more about politics then love anyway.

Thoughts of impending marriage and princes were all but completely dashed when the Zangyack destroyed her home planet. Now the thoughts that occupied her mind centered on survival and making a new place for herself in the world. She could wallow in her misery, she could be sad and helpless and blame herself for everything or she could do what she had been told to do in the face of tragedy. She would follow the words of her governesses, she would be strong and optimistic, she would play the role of the poised and unwavering queen to her invisible king and she would weather this obstacle and any other in her way.

After being on the Galleon for a while and with the imminent threat of death behind her, Ahim would sometimes let her mind wander. She would reminisce about her life as a princess, but these thoughts would bring unwelcomed tears so her thoughts would quickly turn to something else. Sometimes she would ponder on her mates, she wondered what Don dreamed about at night, what Marvelous knew but would never tell, what pushed Joe to be the best. She wondered what made Luka push onward, what kept the sparkle in her eye. Sometimes she would look at the three men and would try and fit them into the roles of the stereotypical prince. Joe was the martial prince; a skilled fighter that had been trained since childhood to lead his kingdom to victory in every battle that they fought. He was reserved and talented, but not very interested in the affairs of the world. Marvelous was the conqueror prince, a man who thrived on the chase and control. He was the prince that wanted what he couldn't have and would stop at nothing to obtain what he felt was his. Don was the second prince that had little hope of becoming king. Ahim felt bad for categorizing Don like this but the more she talked to him the more she saw him as the free spirit who had been left to his own devices because he had older brothers who would be ascending the throne. He was the prince who would marry for love, not for politics.

Ahim's princely thoughts didn't usually stray from the boys while she was having them, but even while trying to fit her male friends into neat little royal boxes she knew that she would never be the happy Queen beside any of them. No matter how she had denied it, she had an image of her dream prince in her head and they didn't fit the ideal that she had created. The prince of her fantasies was brave and tough, but he could be her friend as well. He was worldly and cunning and could give the other prince's a run for their money when it came to wagers. No, her perfect prince wasn't one of the boys, it was Luka. She had come to realize this slowly, Luka's adventurous spirit, her reflexes and skill in battle, her cunning and her keen intellect had always impressed Ahim. It was the night after Joe had disappeared into the forest to train that she accepted that Luka was the one that she wanted. Luka had seen that Ahim was worried about him and she had come to her aid, talking to her, reassuring her that he would be okay, and it was as she snuggled into the other girl's side that she decide that she would throw everything she knew about royal courtship out the window and would get her prince.

Ahim will never forget the look on Luka's face as she presented her with a ring in the shape of a heart with a pink jewel in the middle. The other girl's face lit up, her cheeks a color that rivaled the iridescence of the ring, the color soon blooming on Ahim's own face as Luka pressed her lips against her own.


End file.
